CROOKED RIVER RANCH — For many Crooked River Ranch residents, the Alder Springs Fire has come a little bit too close for comfort.

“The fire came within a block of our house,” said Kim Herschberger, a Crooked River Ranch resident. “It came within hundreds of feet. That was around nine o’clock last night.”

Hershberger was one of hundreds of people forced to flee their homes on Monday as the wildfire tore through canyons and across grasslands of southern Jefferson County. By Monday night it had consumed 1,500 acres and by Tuesday morning the total increased to 2,500 acres with 0% containment.

“We had an aerial show like you wouldn’t believe. All of the helicopters with water buckets flew over our house, a 747-sized water bomber,” she said.

The fire began on the west side of Whychus Creek and was pushed across the creek by strong winds, according to an update from Central Oregon Fire Info, a multi-agency fire organization.

Multiple heavy air tankers and helicopters were called in to fight the blaze. By Monday night the fire jumped the Deschutes River, prompting the evacuation notices for parts of Crooked River Ranch.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the fire. The Oregon State Fire Marshal has been mobilized with two task forces of structure protection resources to help protect property. The Central Oregon Type 3 incident management team took over fire management on Tuesday morning.

Chaotic evacuation

Herschberger and her husband Jeff — who was busy weedwhacking when the fire started its approach —  got word of the evacuation notices and loaded up their cargo trailer with their belongings before leaving.

The evacuation alert left Crooked River Ranch roads jam-packed with cars and trucks and campers and trailers, said Lynnelle Morgan, owner of Over the Edge Taphouse in Crooked River Ranch. Car wrecks during the evacuation forced authorities to set up detour routes.

“It was a little chaotic. It took my daughter 45 minutes to get off the ranch. Towards the evening there was a sense of panic,” Morgan said.

Many of the evacuees spent a restless night in trucks and trailers parked outside the taphouse. Morgan had earlier alerted the community that her business was open to anyone needing a place to go. Livestock was also welcome to spend the night on the taphouse grounds.

Herschberger was still there Tuesday morning, sitting at the bar with others, all glued to their phones awaiting updates.

“We got here about 6 p.m. last night. Our friend had her motorhome and offered us a spare bed. Our dogs are in our truck. We let our chickens out so they wouldn’t get trapped,” Herschberger said.

Later that night, groups of residents delivered around 25 pizzas for the nearby firefighters as they worked the blaze on the ground.

“Everyone felt welcome. Everyone got food. And we just stayed here, hugged each other and cried a little bit,” Herschberger said.

Season’s first large fire

Kassidy Kern, public information officer for Central Oregon Fire Management Service, said Tuesday that the source of the fire was unknown. Unverified reports on social media had various theories, including a suggestion by some that it was started by hikers.

The threat of wildfire closed Cove Palisades State Park temporarily but it was reopened by Tuesday afternoon.

The fire, which began Monday morning around 1 mile northeast of the Alder Springs Trailhead, is the first large wildfire in the tri-county area this year.

Carcass Canyon on Whychus Creek was a priority area on Tuesday, but access is challenging, officials said.

Fortunately for Herschberger and her neighbors, all of their homes survived the first night of the fire.

Hotter throughout the day

Dana Schulke, administrative assistant with Crooked River Ranch Fire & Rescue, said crews worked through the night to protect structures. She said crews are looking to gain ground on the fire before hot temperatures return.

“The hotter it gets throughout the day the more chance the winds will pick up and we’ll have a blow up like we did yesterday afternoon,” she said. “Overnight it calms down and the temperatures drop so that really helps us.”

Schulke, who had worked at the firehouse for nearly 24 hours, also had to evacuate.

“We have no power and some of the cell phone coverage is out. I evacuated my 90-year-old father to Madras, the dog, and I am here.

While the evacuation was stressful, Schulke said she was ready to go — over the weekend she had prepared “bug out bags” (bags containing important documents).

“Once May 1 hits we highly recommend everyone has a bug out bag so you can get the hell out of Dodge,” she said.

Back at the taphouse, Morgan was still behind the bar on Tuesday morning, tending to her weary guests. The scene was calmer than the night before but plumes of smoke were still rising in the distance.

“We are here for the public. If there are people who need food and water we’ve got supplies down here. We call this our community center for a reason.”